Pressure type freezer



H'. w. KLElsT- PRESSURE TYPE FREEZER Dec. 7, 1948.

V:2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Jan. 6, 1944 lllllllll" dlllllw" Jfazweys.

Dec. 7, 1948.

H. w.` KLElsT lRESSURE TYPE FREEZER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. e, 1944 www Patented Dec. l'7, 1948 PRESSURE TYBEFREEz-Ea i .f .Hcrman.W. tlfleist, ;Chicago, Ille, assigner to Dole.

Refrigerating',Ccmpanyg poration of. Illinois Applicationlanuary 6, 194

` @claims (01.62;-` ii) invention relatesv freezingwdevices andinas-one purpose to privide an. improved means for; freezing packaged materials such as foodstuffs. f

Another purposelisI to provide an improvedl device` fori freezing, packages off material, or units otr material,` such .as 'foodstuffs under pressure.

Another purpose isv toprovide an improved freezing `vmechanismVA for s'irnultaneoi-islyV freezing a substantial number of packages -or material at the same time.

Another'purpose is to provide aV structurer of the classgdescribed WithimproVed means for readily freeing the-material treated after it is frozen. ylfmotfherpt'nposeis to provide means for main-A tainingwpressure upon material undergoing freezing.

Another' lpurpose `is to provide a freezing strucunitsVI of ture whichmay be adjustedto freeze units of n'laterialloffvaryi-ngsizesA and which-may be einl1`, Ioyed simultaneously to freeze units of different Other purposes will appear from timeito time throughout the specification and claims.

My inventionfis illustratedfm'ore or lessdiagrammatically in the accompanying drawings,

Whr'e'i'it Rigorous-atop planview'; y

Fifiure 2 is' an end elevation on an enlarged scale; I 'Figuref isa sideelevation;` and Figurefl is'4v a. detail section, on an enlarge scale on thelinef--tof Figure. f f Like=-`parts-= are indcatedfby-li-ke characters throughout the-specication and drawings. y

-Re'ferring'- to -the drawings, I employ a frame whielifis-shown as including a boi'tonv plate or framemcmber I, anda topplate or framemern'- ber 2-c'onnected bya plurality of vertical frame members 3, herein shown as rods of cylindrical exterior` surface. Itiwill :be understood thatthe verticalzmembersf may bell-provided of varying o an improvement: in

tain the necessary ilow f of Chicago;y Ill.,` av vcor-y ,walls18,.andz any. suitable interiori coil structure 9, formed of tubing in closed contact withal-the walls 6. and l.. The interior of the individual units',` may bei maintained under va ':uum,l..fbi means not herein shown, and may: include a Veutectic yfluid. In` thev structure asvshown iride tail in Figure 4, I illustrate' anouterextensifon of the wall t as at l0.. Thisfextended .'portion'ris aperturedl toreceive a sleevel I withan interim'ediate flange i2. It is'. preferably solderedlor otherwise permanently. secured inl position as shown. Space'd alongtlie rods 3 are Aauplurality of `abutment membersV i4. If desired, theymaybe adjustable and may be held indesire'd position, forexample by set screws l5. nthefdevice as hereinV shown, there is a set of ab'utrnentsk I4", for each: individual freezing or vacuum l plate 5, a set of l' abutments' being shown a'slocased-v below each saidplate except the bottom plate 5a. The bottom plate 5a mayfre'st on an adjustable setlof abutments, fory example the nuts Ma screw threadedk upon lower threaded portions'cffthe rods 4.

f Under compression between v each-l abutment I4 and the vacuum plate 5, located thereabove, is acoil spring i6. These sets of coil springstend to urge the plates upwardly away from theabutments" I4. AEach'abutment lll may have a-.cen'tra-l spring penetration portion Elib.' Thuseach spring I6 surrounds and is centered by a portion Mb of an abutmentv I4 at its 'lower end'and the lower portion of one of the sleeves l l at its upper end; It will be understood that the plates 5 and 5a arein 'circuit with any suitable refrigerant such Aas a volatile refrigerant which may b`e delivered Vto the coil or coils 9, which constitute the evaporator coils of the system. Since the details of the refrigerant system do not of themselves form partof the rpresent invention, they-are not herein illustrated. However,' 2i! is any suitable expansion i valve or similar element which supplies a volatile refrigerant tothe plates 5 and 50i,- the coils 9 of which, arranged in series, constitute evaporator units. 'In order to mainregrigerant at all normal positions of the' plates 5" and-5a,v I provide a flexible connection between plates. I illustrate connecting tubes or passage member-s 2| extending 'from -plate to plate. These may themselves be formed of flexible tubing or any suitable'flexible' connecting means may be-em ployed between the ends of the memberifand the plates.` It is essential r that the flow' of the refrigerant shall not' be interrupted by or' affected by relative movement oi-V then vacuum plates Eroi 5a. 2li is the discharge pipe from th coil 9 of the topmost vacuum plate 5. Any suitable inlet connection 24a may be employed for delivering a volatile refrigerant to the bottom plate 5a. Thus, I provide flexible connecting means between the vacuum plates which permits the entire stack of plates to be moved from open position to compressed position and from compressed position to open position without disturbing the flow of refrigerant through the plates.

It will be understood that in the use of my del vice, the packages or units of material to be frozen are inserted in the space between the plates. Each unit or package is subjected to the upper cold surface of one plate and the lower cold surface of the plate next above it. After the material is inserted, the plates are moved together to subject the material between the plates to pressure, and to maintain a close contact between each unit of material being treated and the surfaces of the plates immediately above and below it.

In order to control the movement of the plates, I illustrate a pressure plate 25 above the'topmost Vacuum plate 5. The pressure plate 25 may be moved downwardly against the stack of plates by any suitable means. I illustrate for exam-ple a clamp screw 2B, screw threaded in a nut 2l on the upper frame member 2. 28 is any suitable actuating member, hand wheel or the like. The screw 26 may be rotatably connected at the bottom to the abutment plate 25, for example, by a screw 29. Thus when the hand wheel 28 is actuated, it thrusts the abutment plate 25 downwardly against the upper surface of the, toprnost vacuum plate 6. As the material to be treated is interposed between the individual plates, a continued downward movement of the screw 26 results in the compression of the entire stack of plates. serted between the plates to pressure, and maintains an intimate contact between the materials being treated and the plates.

It will be realized that when the clamp screw 26 is withdrawn to its uppermost position, the various springs I 6 are effective to separate the vacuum plates. The plate 5a will set in its bottom position but the remaining -plates will be raised by the springs I6. The parts may be proportioned so that the springs I6 are effective to raise each of the plates 5 as highas the set of abutments I4, next above will permit.

It will be realized that I thus provide a light and convenient unit for freezing foodstuffs and other substances, for example when packaged, while subjecting the goods treated to pressure which maintains an intimate contact between the goods and the opposed freezing surfaces, and which also may be employed to form or proportion the units or packages being frozen. The entire device may be enclosed in any suitable housing or cabinet not herein shown.

It will be realized that whereas I have described and illustrated an operative device, still many changes might be made in the size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing materially from the spirit of my invention and I wish, therefore, that my showing be taken as in a large sense as illustrative rather than as limiting me to the precise details.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

I provide a stack or group of freezing members such as vacuum plates. The individual plates are movable in relation to each other. In the This in turn subjects the material in- L use of the device, the plates are released to sepa rate as far as the stops l5 will permit. The springs I6 are effective to expand or separate the plates. The material to be treated may then be placed in the spaces between the plates.

Thereafter, the operator subjects the entire stack to compression by rotating the clamping screw 26. This results in the downward movement of the plates 6 against expansion of the springs I6, until the materials located between the plates are subjected to pressure. Thus each package or body of material contacts the upper relatively plane refrigerating surface of one of the plates and the lower relatively plane refrigerating surface of the plate next above. It is preferable though not essential that the plates have substantially plane surfaces and that the opposed surfaces of each pair of plates be substantially parallel with each other.

By varying the location of the stops I4 on the frame members or guides 3, it is possible Ato vary the space between adjacent plates. Thuspackages or units of different sizes may be simultaneously frozen.

It will berealized that any suitable conventional refrigerating circuit may be employed in which the usual combination of compressor, condenser and evaporator is employed. The coils within the plates 5a and 6 constitute evaporator coils in such a system.

I claim:

l. In a device for freezing materials, a base, guiding means upstanding from said base, a plurality of generally horizontal freezing plates movable on said guiding means, means for cooling said freezing plates, means for compressing said freezing plates, and the material between saidplates together, and yielding means adapted, when the plates are released, to separate said plates and to permit the ready removalfof the materials therebetween, and means for limiting the movement of said plates caused by said yielding means.

2. In a device for freezing materials, a plurality of relatively movable, generally parallel, freezing plates, a refrigerant circuit Ain which said plates are included, said plates constituting evaporators in said circuit, means for clamping said plates and the material to be frozen together, and for thereby subjecting the material to be frozen to pressure, means for separating said plates when the clamping `means are released, said refrigerant circuit including flexible refrigerant conducting connections vbetween plates, adapted to permit relative movementof the plates without interruption of the flow of the refrigerant, the exible refrigerant conducting connections being so disposed that refrigerant circulates through the system and through the plates in series. i

3. In a device for freezing materials, a pluf rality of relatively movable, generally parallel, freezing plates, a refrigerant circuit iny which said plates are included, said plates constituting evaporators in said circuit, "means for clamping said plates and the material .to`.be frozen together, and for thereby subjecting the material to be frozento pressure,lmeans for separating said plates when the clamping means are released, said refrigerant l circuit including flexible refrigerant conducting connections between plates, adaptedl to permit relative movement of the plates Vwithout interruption of the flow of the refrigerant, and adjustable limit means for said plates, effective tovary the possible movement of the individual plates between open and closed position.

4. In a device for freezing materials, a base, guiding means upstanding from said base, a plurality of generally horizontal freezing plates movable on said guiding means, means for cooling said freezing plates, means for compressing said freezing plates, and the material between said plates together, and yielding means adapted, when the plates are released, to separate said plates and to permit the ready removal of the materials therebetween, and means for limiting the movement of said plates caused by said yielding means, the limiting means comprising abutments movable on the guiding means, means for locking abutments in adjusted position, the abutments serving also as supports for the yielding means whereby the abutments serve also to adjust the tension of the yielding means.

5. In a device for freezing materials,k a plurality of relatively movable, generally parallel, freezing plates, a refrigerant circuit in which said plates are included, said plates constituting evaporators in Asaid. circuit, means for clamping said plates and the material to be frozen together, and for thereby subjecting the material to be frozen to pressure, means for separating said plates when the clamping means are released, and flexible refrigerant conducting connections between plates, adapted to permit relative movement of the plates without interruption of the llow of the refrigerant, and means for adjusting the relative spacing of said plates at the open position, the adjusting means vcomprising abutments movable on the guiding means,

means for locking the abutments in adjusted position, and yielding means adapted to urge the plates in predetermined directions, the abutments serving also as supports for the yielding means whereby the abutments serve also to adjust the thrust of the yielding means.

6. In a freezer, a plurality of horizontal freezing plates, uprights adapted to guide them in vertical movement, yielding means interposed between the plates tending to move them upwardly and separate them, stop members on the guiding means adjustable in position whereby the tension of the yielding meansfmay be adjusted, the stop members being adapted also to serve to limit the upward excursion of each individual plate, adjustable means for overcoming the thrust of the yieldng means to compress material to be frozen between the plates, flexible fluid tight connections between Asaid plates in series, said plates being connected,`by said connections, and being adapted to receive a coolant passing through the plates in series, at all permitted and relative positions of the plates.

HERMAN W. KLEIST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,280,133 Sundbach Apr. 21, 1942 2,283,923 Hall May 26, 1942 2,329,746 Davison Sept. 21, 1943 

